Strip for terrazzo and similar floors



Dec. 20, 1932. (;ALA$$| 1,891,530

STRIP FOR TERRAZZO AND SIMILAR FLOORS Filed Feb. 8; 1950 v INVENTOR 44'asyue/e 612/143 1 J ig ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 20, 1932 ED :sirA

PASQUALEGALASSI,

JSTBIBFOBLTEBRAZZYO Application med February a into place andwhi'ch maypreferably be made of material imparting to the fioor anti-slip 1properties.

"Terrazzo, granolithic and Similar 'floors --usually comprise afoundation "bed, or' layer of concrete, cement,- mortar or othersuitable material, and a superposed layer usually composed of smallpieces'ofmarble; mixed-with a suitable bondingagent, suchascement.

After the foundation layer has beenallowed t6 hardento asufiicientdegreeof con- -,sistency, it becomes possible to place in'position the upperlayer which is generally divided into geometrical or ornamental units:in the fornr of panelsor blocks which" are obtained by outlinin the"desired'design by means of strips'placec i on orinserted throu'gh 5 theunder bed;or attached thereto. 7

The dividing strips which are left pernia- -nently impositionand-constitutealr integral part of thefinished floor, adding. to "itsattractiveness by producing .novel designs,- at

"the same time localizing cracks :which may :occur in thefloor. panels;aregenerally made of :thin fiatbars of relatively soft metal such asbrass, set on edge within .thefloor composition, the upper edgeof's'aidbars being *flu sh-with the surface of said floor.

In a patent entitled-.Methodsof and means -for producing'anti-slip'terrazzo floorings,

issued to me January 7, 1930, .#1-,742,855, I. have described floorstripsv comprising a =hollow headportion forming a longitudinal chamberwithin which is retained a suitable filler. and a thin rib portiondepending from said head portion, said rib portion being preferablyvprovided: with anchoring; and. positioning means adapted to determine.the

placement and 'ret entionofthe strip in it re s, zwxrl-mr OFFICE or,NEW-YORK, N. Y.

AND'SIMILAR FLOORS s, isso. seriaruaf izeisss. I I propiar position withrespect to theiflooremaella I In another patent entitled F-looring-strip-1SSl16d t0 meJanuary 14, 1930,:#1",743",814,

l have describedanother type of-stripain "which ahead made entirelyof.antiesl-ipimaterial such as lead or cement COIIIPOSltl'OIll-iS providedwith a thin metal rib :portioni depending therefrom.

' Themainobj ect of the inventionsdescribed by saidtwopatents is toprovideterrazzo'and similar floors having anti-slip properties,=.thestrips: :used in said floors-beingof-i'the ipre-. formed variety. 7 i

I havefound th preferable to use strips whicharemOrezsuit able forthepouringof theanti-sl'ipor other" composition or material afterthezstriprhas been placed in position. I have alsorfound at in practiceitisat times that it is possible to simplify to a: certain extent theconstructionofstrips of the. type describedin my patent.#1,742',8-1&,1soasato reduce theircost of production and. also their weight, by makingit-' possible .ito pourithe anti-slip material or compos strip' has beenlaid in place. At. thezls'ame time the'type of stripformingt-thet-subject of the; present invention maylalsoube com "sidered' as being an improvement over the ition afteriithe strips "describedand claimed my copen'dingapplication entitled Dividing; stri-psySer. No.247,620, said application referring to preformed fioor' strips made ofcementitious unaterial; inasmuch as the-present strip comprises a fillerwhich may be preformed:and reinforced by an. external metallic :she'll,or P else' may bepoured within the-shell and allowed to' harden so-as toform a unitary strip with said shell before it is used.

The primary object of this invenitioni is toprovide a new and improved'typeyof dividing strip for terrazzo and li'kefloors, adapted to formnew and attractive designs and also adapted when desired to impartanti-slip properties to thefloor.

Another object is to provide-a floor dividing strip which can'beproduced at relatively ".low- 'cost, although -it is suitable" for usein ifloors where relatively wide dividing istrips *betweelr adjoiningpanels should be-used.

; v10f) v A further object is to provide a novel type of anti-slipdividing strip for terrazzo and similar floors adapted to be made inunitary form or to be completed after being laid in place according toconditions governing each particular case.

Other objects andadvantages of the pres ent invention will more fullyappear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed inthe appended claims.

My invention is illustrated by way of enample in the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the shell portion of astrip embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation thereof through line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the shell portion of astrip of a somewhat different design, also embodying my invention;

3 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view in perspective of a terrazzofloor showing the sh'ellof astrip embodying my invention in 1positi0nprevious to the pouring of the filler therein;

I Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevatlon of the same floor aftercement or cement composition has been poured Within the shell in orderto complete the strip;

A Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevat on of a terrazzo floorcomprising dividing strips Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional elevationof a terrazzo floor illustrating a shell some what similar to that shownin Fig. 3 posii-tion previous to the pouring of the filling material Fig 8 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of a terrazzo floor comprisingstrips somewhat similar to that lllustrated inFig. 7

1 Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of a terrazzo floorcomprismg strips of anperspective of a terrazzo floor illustrating.

theshell of a strip of still different design, in positionv previous tothe pouring of the filler therein Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectionalelevation of a terrazzo floor illustrating another design of strip alsoembodying by invention and Fig. 13 is afragmentary view in perspectfveof a strip embodying my invention in unitary form, said strip being madecomplete with filler and shell before being used.

I My improved strip comprises essentially an, open top shell made ofsuitable material '65 such as brass for instance filled with a plasticment orconcrete or cement composition, or

asphalt or else it may preferably consist of an anti-slip aggregateadapted to impart to .the'fioor anti-slip properties. It. is, of course,also within the scope of this invention to use as-a filler softmetalsuch as lead for instance,

which may be poured in position after the shell has been laid. Among thesoft metals,

.lead is particularly suitable also on account of its anti-slipproperties. r

The shell illustrated inFigs. .1 and 2 is formed outof a relativelylongand narrow fiat strip of light gauge metal bent along itslongitudinal central line to form a U-shaped structure having twoparallel sides 20, 21 and a preferably pointed lower end 22. A pointedlower end facilitates the insertion of theshell through theplasticmaterial out of which the lower layer of the fioor is made andalso results in less material being needed for the filler. somewhatsimilar to that illustratedin Figs. 7 at and 5;

Itis customary in dividing strips to provide anchoring means adapted toretain said strips. in, position, sa d anchoring means be ing preferablyso placed that they may be used also as positiomng means determining thedepth. at which the strip isto be placed. The shell just described mayaccordingly be provided with anchoring or positioning means or both ofany suitable description; for instance, be struck off its sides atspaced intervals and .bent outwardly therefrom. If said ears or lugs arebent at right angle to the vertical plane of the strip, and are spacedfrom the upper edges of the shell afdistance equivalent to the thicknessof the upper layer of the fi0or,.the y.may serve as positioning meansand will also determine the correct vertical alignment of the strip. orshell when it is placed in position.

If desired. some of the ears or lugs may be bentinwardly instead ofoutwardly as shown at25 so as to provide anchoring means for the fillingmaterialwithin the siell; and in this case it is also preferable to makesaid lugs 25 aswideas the chamber 26 provided for the filler betweensides 20, 21, so as to i maintain the proper distance between the sidesand enable said sides to resist the lateral pressure due to the floormaterial adjoining them. Instead of making the shell with parallel sidesthe sides may bemade up ears or lugs such as 23, 24 maywardlyconverging: as shownzin Fig. 3 where the shell is composed of twoupwardlyicon vergingsides 27 28' and pointed. bottom 29,

said sides being provided with anchoring and positioning means 30, 31 ifdesired. 7 r

In Figs.-4 and 5-1 illustrate a terrazzo floor comprising afoundationbed 32, a lower floor bed 33 and an upper'or finishinglayer v34:. Afterthe lower bed 33 has been laid in position and is still in a plasticcondition, the strip shell 35 which is of the type illustrated in Figs.1 and2 with or without-the inner ears or lugs 25 is inserted within saidlower bed previous'to the laying of the upper'layer.

When this is done it'is preferable to cover the open top of the shell,with a longitudinal plug as shown at 36. This has the double advantageof preventing the-floor composition from entering theshell and holdingthe edges of the shell at the proper dist-ance,-so as to enable thesides to resist the lateral pressure-of the floor material, even'if nointernal lugs or ears such as 25 are provided.

After the floor material has hardened, the

plug 36'is removed and the filling material 37 is poured withinthe'shell as shownin Fig. 5=and allowed in its turn to harden beforethefloor is finally scraped, finished and polishedto completions a InFigs. 4 and 5 the shell is shown deep enough to reach thelevel of thefoundation bed of the floor. Inpractice, this is not strictly necessarybecause when positioning means of a suitable type are provided, it issufficient toinsert the .shell or strip through the lower bedof thefloor only toadepthsuch as determined by the positioning means. Forinstance, in Fig. 6 where 38 is the foundation bed, 39 is the lowerlayer of the floor and 40 is the upper:layer, I illustrate a strip, theshell of which 41 only reaches about midway ofthe depth ofthelowerbed,its depth of insertion within said lowerbed being deten" mined bythe anchoring and positioning lugs such as 42 which are spacedfromtheupper surface of the stripga distance :equivalent to the depth ofthe-upper layer 40.

In all thesecases as stated, the filling material may be poured'afterthe shell' has been inserted in position orelse thestrip may becompleted first in unitary form including both the shell and the fillerand may thenbe placed in positionin this form.

In Fig. 7 I illustrate a floor comprisinga foundation bed 43. a' lowerfioor'bed 1'4 and an upper layer 45, said fioori'comprising strips, theshell of which hasa'pointed bottom 46 and two. upwardly converging sides47. 48. Like in the case illustrated in Fig. 4, said shell may be laidin position equipped with a longitudinal plug 49 maintaining the properdistance between the upper edges of the shell. This type of strip doesnot require anchoring means such as shown in the preceding figurebecause the converging sidesare suificientto prevent its comingiofi'the' floor after the .floor material becomes hard.

Positioning. means of any? suitable type however may be providedifdesired; forkinstance in the formlof ears or'lugs such previouslydescribed,.or else Linathe formwof longitudinal beads or impressionssuch as-5O spaced from the upper edgesiof theshellua distance equivalentto the I thickness of'the upper layerof the floor.

Positioningameans of a the type projecting.

from the sides of the shell arepreferablewhenthe depth at which theshell isto be insertedthrough the lower'bed of the'floor is to bedetermined"entirely. by said positioning means. Thisis the casefor-instance in the. strip illustrated in Fig. 8-where the lowerend 51of the shell does notreach the level of the floor foundation 52, itsdepthof insertion beingdetermined by the laterally extending lugs orears-53 reaching the upper surface 54 of the lower'layer or'bed of'the"floor 55.

The prope'r positioning of the strip or I shell may also be determined.sby .the ishells own outline,-if desired. For instance,- in Fig; 9,the'sides of'the shell are shown formed withupper upwardly convergingportions 56, 57 and lower portions 58, 59' inwardly raised therefromtoiform' shoulders- 60, 61, V

which are spaced from the upper edgesrof'the shell 21'distanceequivalent to the thickness of thexupper layer 62 of the'fioor:A*simi-- lar' result may be obtained by using the strip. illustrated inFig. 10 where the sides of the shell comprise two upper parallel bars63, 64 and two lower parallelbars 65,. .66

joined by a pointed lower end-67-,said lower 7 portions beingvoutward'l'yjoifset from the upper portions to form shouldersi 67, 68J-ata distance from the upper edges: of the shell" corresponding tothe'depthofthe upper floor layer 69. Y The shell 70 illustratedinIFigrll.issomewhat similar to that illustrated in Fig.4 ex ce-pt that'the upper ends :71, .72 of' the sides a of the shell convergeinwardly,'thusprevent-' ing the filler from coming. :loose.

Another strip'in whichvthe'lshell outline may be used to determinethe-depthof insertion of the strip'is illustrated inFig1.12.' In thesame-the shell iscomposed of a vertical side 7 3 and another side havinga lower por tion-7 t and an upper portion 75, outwardly inclined to meetat a point 7 Gspaced fromthe upper end of the strip adistancecorresponcb ing to the depth of the upper layer? 7 of the floor.In this type ofstrip the apex 76 at one side acts as positioning meansand the anchoring function is provided by: the inward inclination of theupper portion 7 5 ofsaid side.

In order toillustrate the differenttypesof materials whichrma'y'beusedto produce; a filler in Fig; 5 Ishow cement as'being used,

while in Fig. 6 the filleris'made of asphalt, in

5 makin the stri com lete in unitar form a P P y shell,

including the shell and the filler before'use,

the strip shown comprising a shell 78 of.

the type illustrated in Fig. 3 and a filler 79 which may be of anyvsuitable material as listed above, the material specifically illustratedbeing acement composition. or antislip aggregate.

. It will be observed that in every case, the strip provides a two colorefiect which affords a convenient means of increasing its decorativepossibilities; therefore the filling material used may be selectedpurely from the standpoint of ornamental lOI' else from the standpointof its anti-slip properties, or both.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my inventive idea may be appliedin a number of ways. The drawing will therefore be understood as beingintended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense.Accordingly, 'I reserve the right to carry my invention into practice inall those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into. the scope of.the appended claims. a

1. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors comprising in unitaryform an open top metal shell adapted for insertion within plasticmaterial, said shell extending for the entire depth of the strip, afiller filling the space within the shell and means for anchoring'saidfiller within said shell.

2. A dividing strip for terrazzo. and like floors comprising inunitaryqform an open top metal shell adapted for insertion withinplastic material, said shell extending for the entire depth of thestrip, and being narrower.

at the mouth than intermediate its top and bottom edges, and anon-yielding fillerfilling-the space within the shell flush with the topthereof.

3. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors comprising in unitaryform an open top metal shell adapted for insertion within plasticmaterial, said shell extending for the entire depth of the strip,anchoring and positioning means projecting laterally of said shell, afiller filling the space within the shell and anchoring means for saidfiller integral with and projecting inwardly of said shell intermediatethe top and bottom thereof.

4. A dividing strip foriterrazzoand like floors comprising in unitaryform anopen top metal shell adapted for insertion within plasticmaterial, said shell extending for the entire depthof the strip,anchoring and positioning means projecting laterally of said a fillerfilling the'space within the shell and spacing means integral with andextendingv between the sides of'said shell intermediate thetop andbottom thereof, said spacing means also acting-as anchoring means forsaid filler. a 5. A dividing strip for't-errazzo and likefloorsconsisting of alower layer made of plastic material and an upperlayer made of a plastic material having a different composition,comprising an open top metal shell extending for the entire depth of thestrip adapted for insertion within said lower floor layer while in itsplastic form, said shell being provided with laterally projectingpositioning means spaced from the upper edge of said shell a distanceequivalent to the thickness ofthe upper layer of the floor, saidpositioning. means determining the depth at which the shell isto beinserted within the lower layer. 7

6. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors consisting of'a lowerlayer made of plastic material and an upper layer madeof a plasticmaterial having a different composition, comprising an open topmetalshell extending for the entire depth of the strip adapted forinsertion within said lower floor layer while in its plastic form, saidshell being provided with laterally projecting positioning means'spacedfrom the upper edge of said shell a distance equivalent to the thicknessof the upper layer of the floor, said positioning means determining thedepth at which the shell is to be inserted within the lower layer, and anon-yielding filler of antislip material in'said shell flush with thetop surface of said floor.

7. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors, consisting of a lowerlayer made of plastic material andan upper layer made of a plasticmaterial having a dliferent composition, comprising an open top metalshell extending for, the entire depth of the strip adapted forinsertion'within said'lower floor layer while inits' plastic form, saidshell being provided with laterally projecting positioning means spacedfrom the upper edge of saidshell a distance equivalent to the thicknessof the upper layer of the floor, said positioning means determining thedepth at which the. shell is to be inserted within the lower layer, anon-yielding filler in said shell, and means fol-anchoring saidfiller'in' said shell. I

8. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors consisting of a lowerlayer made of plastic material and an upper layer made of a plasticmaterial having a different composition, comprising an open top metalshell adapted to contain anti-slip material, said shell extending fortheentire depth of the strip adapted for insertion within said lower floorlayer while in its plastic form, said shell being provided withlaterally projecting positioning means spaced from the upper edge ofsaid shell a distance equivalent to the thickness of the "upper'lay-erof the floor, said positioning means determining the depth at which theshell is to be inserted within the lower layer, and means integral withsaid shells extending between the sides thereof to maintain the sides ofthe shell in spaced relation against the plastic material.

9. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors comprising in unitaryform an open top metal shell adapted for insertion within plasticmaterial, said shell extending for the entire depth of the strip, and acore of antislip material within said shell flush with the top thereof.

10. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors consisting of a lowerlayer made of plastic material and an upper layer made of a plasticmaterial having a different composition, comprising an open top metalshell extending for the entire depth of the strip adapted for insertionwithin said lower floor layer while in its plastic form, said shellbeing provided with laterally projecting positioning means spaced fromthe upper edge of said shell a distance equivalent to the thickness ofthe upper layer of the floor, said positioning means determining thedepth at which the shell is to be inserted within the lower layer, acore of anti-slip material within said shell flush with the top thereof,and means for anchoring said core within said shell.

PASQUALE GALASSI.

